The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
When I interviewed Berke Breathed a few years back, I asked him if there would finally by a comprehensive Bloom County collection like the recently available Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts volumes. Breathed was dismissive of the idea, claiming that no one wanted to read the strip, that it was no longer relevant, and it just wasn’t going to happen. Well, a few years have gone by, someone talked a bit of sense into him, so we have the first, glorious volume of The Bloom County Library (IDW, $39.99 SRP), collecting the first two years. Granted, those first two years bear more resemblance to Doonesbury than the Bloom County we know and love, but the strip quickly evolves and finds its way, so by the end of the volume, we’re into familiar territory. Breathed also provides commentary, which places the strips into their historical context. Overall, the presentation is exactly what fans have been waiting for, and volume 2 can’t come fast enough.
Ever wish you had the ability to switch something on and off with a regular ol’ wall switch? Like a lamp, or a game system? But without having to have the switch be on the wall? And have it be wireless? Well, now you can, with the Instant Switch ($24.95), which allows you to do just that. Ain’t technology grand? AIN’T IT?!?!
I’m often baffled by their selection process, but the one thing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame manages to impress with on a rather consistent basis is the musical performances of the inductees – and tributes from other artists who perform their work. With a roster that includes everyone from Paul McCartney and The Doors to John Lee Hooker and Little Richard, it’s an eclectic bunch, to be sure. For those who’ve never caught the ceremonies in the past – or just want to relive the music – Time Life has delivered an incredible collection across 9 volumes – Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame + Museum: Live (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring literally dozens of artists in an equal amount of unique, memorable performances from these ceremonies. Get it.
Hitchcock’s classic North By Northwest (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.82 SRP) will be delighted by just how stunning the restored picture and sound looks and sounds, as the film has never, ever looked this good (even during its theatrical run). The 2-disc set includes a pair of brand new documentaries, plus carries over the audio commentary, featurettes, galleries, and TV spots from the previous special edition release. It’s also available in a Blu-Ray edition ($34.99), which – as you can imagine – looks just that much better.
Another strip which IDW has begun collecting is Bil Keane’s precocious kids via the Family Circus Library: Volume 1 (IDW, $39.99 SRP). Every bit as high quality as their other deluxe releases, hardbound and premium, the premiere volume contains the first year of the strip, running from 1960-1961. Is it worth it? Yes, it’s worth it.
A very close second to the original cross-country trek of the Griswold clan, I’m a big fan of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). It still holds up as a comic joy and a true holiday perennial, and it’s been given the deluxe special edition treatment just in time for this holiday. The film itself has been given a high-definition release with an audio commentary and the theatrical trailer, and the collectible tin comes packed with a Wally the Moose Santa Hat, miniature replica of the Wally mug, fake snow, and a badge.
It’s the holidays, which means some classic perennials are getting an upgrade and re-release just in time for seasonal viewing. Getting the high definition treatment is Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which lands as a quite spiffy looking 2-disc set containing both the must-see black & white and best to avoid colorized versions, plus the making-of documentary and original theatrical trailer found on the original standard DVD special edition. Sadly not in HD (it would have been quite a visual feast) is the new 2-disc anniversary edition of White Christmas (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), which sports an audio commentary with Rosemary Clooney, a half-dozen featurettes, and a pair of theatrical trailers.
There are unique minds, and then there are uber-unique minds… Minds which create their own sphere of reality, daring others to step within the range of its influence and be swept away. One of those minds is Tony Millionaire, whose work has been given a must-have hardcover tome in The Art Of Tony Millionaire (Dark Horse Books, $39.95 SRP). Packed with art and anecdotes, this volume should be on your shelf. Right next to that Michael Kupperman book. You know the one… Yeah, that one. So just get it.
Long, long after the release of the penultimate 3rd season and a poorly-packaged complete series box set, everything is made right with the release of Fraggle Rock: The Complete Final Season (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$28.98 SRP), containing interviews and featurettes galore. Also getting a re-release is a more intelligently packaged Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) and a holiday-centric Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), containing a trio of festive episodes, an episode of the animated series, an Emmet Otter sing-along, and a look at The Christmas Toy.
More so even that ET, Forrest Gump (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$38.98 SRP) is a completely manipulative, exquisitely crafted piece of Hollywood feel good prize-pumping cinema. And yes, I did enjoy it when I first saw it in the theater, way back in 1994 – it pushes buttons quite well, thank you, and it pushed mine, even if I have felt dirty about it ever since. Well, it’s now gotten a release in high def via Paramount’s new deluxe Sapphire Series as a 2-disc special edition featuring a pair of audio commentaries, a featurette on the soundtrack, 9 behind-the-scenes featurettes, and screen tests. I feel so dirty, AND I want a box of chocolates.
By its 3rd season, Spin City (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) was a well-oiled machine, with the entire cast on equal footing with star Michael J. Fox (particularly the dynamic between Alan Ruck and Michael Boatman). The 4-disc set contains all 26 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Whereas the live action film was a mess, I thought that GI Joe: Resolute (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) was a faithful, entertaining update of the GI Joe cartoon I loved as a child, and was able to introduce a more adult approach without coming off as a violent, wrongheaded attempt at being “adult”. Don’t believe me? Check out the disc for yourself, which features additional scenes, behind-the-scenes interviews, storyboards, and the teaser.
You know that great Saturday Night Live book from a few years back – the one by Tom Shales that features dozens of interviews telling the tale of the show’s history in a remarkably candid way? Well, Author Mike Thomas has done the same thing for the legendary improvisational group which spawned many an SNL castmember – and comedy icon – with The Second City Unscripted (Villard Books, $26.00 SRP). Every comedy fan should get this. Now.
While it’s not the educational films I would have liked to have seen in the series (or Song Of The South), I welcome the Walt Disney Treasures release of both Zorro: The Complete First Season & Zorro: The Complete Second Season (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP each). The show looks better than it ever did in the long ago Disney Channel reruns, and both sets contains intros from Leonard Maltin. The sets also feature the Walt Disney Presents episodes and newly-produced featurettes (even a collectible pin). As always, the Walt Disney Treasures series delivers a treat. Here’s to more…
I’m not exactly sure what the concept is behind Adult Swim In A Box (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP). In a nutshell, it’s a big ol’ boxset containing a mix of various Adult Swim shows. The odd thing is it’s different seasons of the shows, with no real logic behind their inclusion. Was the boxset just a way to unload a bunch of sets that were sitting around in inventory? Included in the set are Sealab 2021: Season 2, Metalocalypse: Season 1, Robot Chicken: Season 2, Space Ghost Coast To Coast: Season 3, Moral Orel: Season 1, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2. So what’s the incentive to buy the set? The clever inclusion of an exclusive bonus disc, containing a handful of pilots – The Best Of Totally For Teens, Cheyenne Cinnamon And The Fantabulous Unicorn Of Sugar Town Candy Fudge, Korgoth Of Barbaria, Perfect Hair Forever, and Welcome To Eltingville. Clever bastards.
Bit by bit, we’re getting DVD releases of all of the various Saturday morning animated iterations of the DC superheroes, and the latest to get its time on plastic is the short-lived Ruby-Spears Superman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which was the pre-Dini/Timm but post-Crisis version of the Man of Steel, that actually used reorchestrated versions of John Williams’ theatrical theme. The 2-disc set contains all 13 episodes, plus a featurette on Lexcorp.
There’s nothing quite so electrifying as Muhammad Ali in interviews, even those when he was in the early years of his decline, and you’ll find plenty of them in Champions Forever: The Definitive Edition – Muhammad Ali the Lost Interviews (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which contains unused footage shot in 1990 for the Champions Forever documentary.
Really – it seems like there are an unlimited number of classic Doctor Who adventures. Are we even close to getting them all on DVD? They just keep coming and coming. Latest is an arc from the Peter Davison years – Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), a 3-disc set containing Mawdryn Undead, Terminus, and Enlightenment. Bonus materials are the usual Who potpourri of commentaries, featurettes, galleries, and more.
I know I should be swept up in its formulaic, rom-comminess, but there’s an unavoidable charm to Richard Curtis’s Love Actually (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP). The film has just found its way to high definition, with an audio commentary, featurettes, and music videos.
It may not be a very well-written or executed superhero cartoon, but I have find childhood memories of the episodes contained in Plastic Man: The Complete Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP). The 4-disc set contains all 36 episodes of the pliable one’s adventures, plus a retrospective featurette and the original pilot episode.
It may not be as polished as the films of Pixar, but there’s a lot of charm and energy in the Ice Age series, and I was surprised to find out that there was still some steam in Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which finds our heroes discovering a lost world and interacting with dinosaurs – I mean, it was inevitable they’d find a way to bring them in to the mix. Does it work? Yeah, it does. Fox has taken a cue from Disney and have crafted a Blu-Ray/DVD combo package, with bonus features including an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, Scrat shorts, and more.
How do you make sure the DVD re-release of Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed In At The House Of Mouse (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) sells? Make sure the cover has a trio of Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, and Ariel) joining Mickey, Donald, and the gang. Crass? Sure, which is a shame, since it’s actually a pretty decent holiday special. Bonus features include the premiere episode of House of Mouse, a featurette on sound effects, and sing-along songs.
It’s certainly not the holidays without penguins, right? Right. Which makes The March Of The Penguins: Limited Edition Giftset (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$39.98 SRP) a nice gift, as it comes with not only the titular documentary, but also a new documentary about warm-weather penguins and a plush penguin toy.
In the vein of goofy babysitter flicks of the 80’s like Batteries Not Included and Spaced Invaders comes the kids & extraterrestrials romp Aliens In The Attic (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP). Can you guess there are aliens in the aforementioned upstairs area? Bonus features include featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a bonus animated short, and a gag reel. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available with identical bonus materials.
It’s not the sharpest, most clever of political commentary, but there’s a certain closure to Will Ferrell’s Broadway outing You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W Bush (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP). The show had a limited run on the Great White Way, and found Ferrell performing the impression formed during his SNL days, summarizing the man behind two Presidential terms. Bonus features include a pair of featurettes and a game.
The TV show releases are wrapped, which brings us to the first volume of The Rockford Files: Movie Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which finds James Garner back on the case in a quartet of TV movies.
As a tour guide into the work of Charles Darwin and his landmark theory of evolution, one couldn’t hope for a better, more engaging host than Sir David Attenborough, who takes by the hand on Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
I admit, there was a schlocky appeal to the first Wrong Turn, and it’s always worth watching Eliza Dusku (well, except in Dollhouse – there’s nothing about that worth watching. But with Eliza long gone, there’s very little to Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) worth watching, as it becomes just another of those direct-to-video franchises. A franchise! Whoda thunk it?
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
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I’m a bit baffled that Armando Iannucci’s brilliant The Death Of Stalin (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$14.99 SRP) is only getting a standard DVD release here in the US. Does high definition make the already uncomfortably identifiable events just too real? And where’s my audio commentary? At least the release does get a featurette and deleted scenes, but a future high-def version would be much appreciated.
Another Pixar movie means we get another incredible Art Of book from the fine folks at Chronicle Books, and it’s particularly fitting that this year’s incredible Art Of book from Chronicle is The Art Of The Incredibles 2 (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP), with an introduction by director Brad Bird.
I really had almost zero expectations for the comedy Game Night (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP) besides the hope that it would be a pleasant diversion in these deeply distressing times. And hey! It was. With a cast that includes Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Horgan, and the comedy award-worthy Jesse Plemons, it’s a lark worth watching. Bonus materials include a featurette and a gag reel.
The 21st season of South Park (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), following the 20th season’s election-themed, continuity-heavy debacle, is the first in a long while that I have pretty much zero memory of, all these months later. Re-watching them, the episodes are certainly strong, if entirely forgettable. Bonus materials include the usual batch of mini-commentaries from Matt Stone & Trey Parker.
The Angelina Jolie films were fine, but the rebooted Tomb Raider (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 4K-$29.96 SRP), starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, delivers the franchise into a much more stable modern footing as a solid action film sans the cheese. Bonus materials include a quartet of featurettes.
I have mixed feelings about Forrest Gump (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 4K-$25.75 SRP), which is newly available in UltraHD. It’s a supremely affable film, almost inexplicably so, but it’s also the movie that gave Robert Zemeckis gold fever, winning the Best Picture Academy Award and setting him on a path far removed from the beloved comedy and genre flicks that had defined his career previously. Shame, really. Bonus materials include audio commentaries featurettes, and screen tests.
I had never heard of the film Cold Turkey (Olive Films, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.95 SRP). Written and directed by Norman Lear, it’s about a small, impoverished town in the Midwest who accepts a challenge to go tobacco-free for a month in exchange for $25 million. And it stars Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, Jean Stapleton, Edward Everett Horton, Tom Poston, and Bob & Ray, with music by Randy Newman? I’m in.
Truly solid science fiction films are few and far between. The last one was probably The Arrival, and I’d certainly put Annihilation (Paramount, Rated R, 4K-$44.99 SRP) in that rarified air, with a stellar cast (Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac) and a wonderfully weird concept about exploring a bubble of unique evolution, see it. Bonus materials include a handful of featurettes.
A lot has been said about the satirical inspiration of A Day In The Life Of Marlon Bundo (Chronicle Books, $18.99 SRP) and its origin within John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, so instead I just want to say what a beautiful children’s book bunny Marlon Bundo (with Jill Tweiss) has crafted, with lovely illustrations by EG Keller and an even more beautiful message of love and inclusivity.
The first Paddington film was an unexpectedly sweet outing for the marmalade-loving bear, and the simply named sequel Paddington 2 (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) manages to retain all of the charm and add substantially to it for a sequel that often exceeds already high expectations. It’s a deeply charming, fun, funny film. Bonus materials include featurettes and a music video.
In the mood for John Landis double feature this weekend? Well, a pair of his films are celebrating their anniversaries with brand new releases ““ the 35th anniversary edition of Trading Places (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP) and the 30th anniversary edition of Coming To America (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP). Bonus materials on Trading Places include featurettes, a deleted scene, and an industry promotional pieces, while Coming To America sports featurettes, an Arsenio/Eddie sitdown, and a photo gallery.
I own the stories in plenty of different volumes released over the years, but Fantagraphics has crafted the definitive edition of Carl Barks’ classic Disney Duck tales with their multi-volume Carl Barks Library, the latest volume of which is Donald Duck: The Lost Peg Leg Mine (Fantagraphics, $29.99 SRP), featuring a batch of stories from the late 1950s.
By the 5th season of Orange Is The New Black (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.97 SRP), we’re dangerously close to the show becoming a bit too cartoonish, as characters become more removed from reality as a way of extending the series. It’s not quite there, but the warning signs certainly are, as we dive into a prison riot storyline. Bonus materials include commentaries, a featurette, and a gag reel.
A sixth film is headed to theaters, which makes the timing perfect for the first 5 Mission: Impossible films ““ Mission: Impossible, Mission Impossible 2, Mission Impossible 3, Mission: Impossible ““ Ghost Protocol, & Mission: Impossible ““ Rogue Nation (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 4K-$44.95 SRP each) – to make their UltraHD debut packed with new and vintage bonus materials, including featurettes, audio commentaries, galleries, and more. But really, after so many films, it seems the series should be more correctly called Mission: Improbable.
But, in a world where we have Tom Cruise Mission Impossible films, I’m not sure why we ever needed Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 4k-$44.95 SRP), which just seems a watered-down, joyless version of that other long-lasting franchise. Sure, there’s nothing awful about the Reacher films, they’re just forgettable. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and a trio of featurettes.
I thought the live action Suicide Squad was a boatload of hot garbage, so the animated Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay (Warner Bros., Rated R, 4K-$24.95 SRP) had only a subterranean bar to clear, which it does handily by at least being a watchable story that only runs less than 90 minutes. Bonus materials include featurettes and a sneak peek at the animated Death Of Superman.
Not only has Ashley Eckstein cemented herself in the hearts of Star Wars fandom for her portrayal of Ahsoka Tano, but she’s also gone on to carve out an empire with her fashion brand/fangirl community Her Universe. In It’s Your Universe: You Have The Power To Make It Happen (Disney Editions, $17.99 SRP), she charts her course from a young fangirl geeking on Disney to her current career as an actress and entrepreneur.
I do love a horror film that places more weight on suspense than on gore, and A Quiet Place (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 4K-$34.99 SRP) certainly falls into that paradigm, even if the concept itself ““ about a family having to remain absolutely silent in order to avoid detection by deadly aliens with acute hearing ““ doesn’t really hold up to too much scrutiny. But who cares? It’s a taut ride. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes.